The Best Man
by NeonDomino
Summary: The last thing Sirius expected when asked to be best man for Peters wedding, was to fall for Remus Lupin - the attractive Werewolf he meets at Peter's engagement party. However, he wasn't expecting Remus to be Peters fiancé. Sirius tries to keep his feelings hidden, but finds he can't stay away from Remus, but can he really betray his friend? This is a MAGIC AU! RL/SB
1. Chapter 1

**This story is based loosely on the movie - The Best Man/Unhitched - starring Seth Green and Amy Smart.**

**Thanks to my beta - Michy Drarry Shipper for agreeing to take this story on.**

**I have other Remus/Sirius stories - This is Love, A Lone Wolf, and Books About Wolves, so check those out.**

**Happy Valentines day everyone. Please, enjoy the story.**

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It was just another boring Friday at work for Sirius, another day where he was sitting at his desk, staring at the clock.

In a way, he was happy, as it meant there wasn't any trouble, which was a nice change from a few weeks before, when the Death Eaters were attacking towns almost daily, but he felt as though he was going crazy, just sitting around, bored. They could let him go home, and send a message if he was needed.

Sirius heard a sound at his window as he was flicking a bit of paper around his desk. He looked over, noticing a barn owl watching him, and got up to let the bird in. The owl landed on a perch on Sirius' desk and Sirius walked over, and untied the letter from the bird's leg.

He put the letter down on his desk, and pulled a tub out of a drawer, opening it and giving one to the bird. The owl hooted, happily, took the treat, and flew away again. Once the owl was out of sight, he drew his attention to the gold lined envelope on his desk.

After a minute of looking at it, he sighed and picked it up. He opened it carefully, as James came into the office.

"What have you got there?" James asked, pulling his own desk chair over to the other side of Sirius' and flopping down in it. He propped his feet up on Sirius' desk, and eyed up the envelope that Sirius was holding with curiosity.

Sirius shrugged, and pulled out the card and a letter. He tossed the envelope and letter onto the desk and read the large letters across the top of the card.

_'Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin Would like to invite you to join them to celebrate their marriage.'_

He glanced up at James, who raised his eyebrows in a silent question, and threw the card onto the desk between them.

"Wedding invitation," he said, as James took his legs off the desk, and leaned forward, picking up the card.

"Your mate Pettigrew actually found someone who'd marry him?" James sneered, throwing the invitation back onto the desk.

"He's not that bad," Sirius said, half-heartedly, as he picked the invite back up, and checked the date written on it. "Two weeks, he's not wasting any time... But Remus Lupin, that's a bloke's name. I knew Peter liked men, but I was so sure he'd end up with a girl, he seemed to prefer tall, leggy blondes."

"Not that he could pull a tall, leggy blonde," James said, a cruel smile on his face, "only the ugly ones. Hey, I bet this guy is worse looking than Peter," James laughed.

Sirius tried to hold back a smile, as he picked up the letter that came with the card. "I admit Petey isn't the best looking guy, but he's still my friend, so be nice, will you?"

_'Sirius,_

_I know the invite will come as a shock, but what can I say? I met Remus and knew within days that I would have to marry him._

_It's been a long time since we've spoken, but I still consider you one of my closest and dearest friends, and would like you to be at my wedding, and what's more, I'd like for you to be my best man._

_I know two weeks isn't a long time, but I'm holding an Engagement party at my home tonight, and would love for you to attend._

_I'll hopefully see you tonight._

_Peter.'_

Sirius passed the letter to James, and watched as he read it.

James sat in silence for a minute.

"Can I come?" He asked, and Sirius shook his head.

"Why would you want to? You hate Peter, Peter hates you..." Sirius said, a frown on his face.

"Well, I can be nice. Plus, he should get over it."

"You threw up on him, insulted his parents and tried to fight him," Sirius said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

James shrugged. "It sounds worse than it actually was..."

"Plus, me and you had a falling out and we stopped talking for two years."

"Fine, I won't come," James said, standing up to leave the office.

"See you at home?" he said, and Sirius nodded.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Glad a lot of you seemed to enjoy the first chapter. Hope you all like this. Let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing.**

**Thanks to my Beta - Michy Drarry Shipper (who is brilliant)**

**There are two stories I am currently enjoying - They are both WolfStar, so please go and check them out.**

**Atticted - by Beatlebug and I Promise, I'll Save You by LornaTheLoop. Go take a look!**

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That evening, Sirius found himself standing outside Peter's flat. He wasn't stupid enough to think he was alone, because James never gave up that easily. Plus, the suspicious space next to him that kept bumping into him was a bit of a giveaway. It was like James actually wanted people to know there was someone hiding under an invisibility cloak... either that or he still hadn't worked out how to sneak around properly.

He knew James wouldn't have fun, and would most likely leave after a few minutes, and he was not wrong. The little voice whispering to him had stopped less than half an hour after arriving, and he had seen the door open and close of its own accord.

Five minutes later, he got a text.

'That party is so boring! You were right, I shouldn't have gone. I'm at home now and ordering pizza. Don't die of boredom.'

An hour later, Sirius was holding back the yawns. He had walked around and had the most boring conversations of his life with a bunch of people who he didn't give a crap about, all Peter's friends, and he was contemplating how much longer he would have to stay before he could get out of there.

He grabbed himself a glass of champagne from a tray, headed out onto the small balcony, and leaned over it, taking in the view of the city, as he slowly drunk the champagne.

He heard the door shut as someone else came out. He turned around and his eyes met some beautiful amber eyes, as a man with dark blonde hair walked over to him. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sight, and a shiver ran up his body.

"I guess I wasn't the only one trying to escape," the man said, and Sirius laughed.

"Was I that obvious?"

"I think only to me, everyone else thinks their stories are very entertaining, and in fact, I was looking for an escape too. So you're the best man?"

Sirius nodded. "I guess so, although to be honest, I'm quite surprised to be. Me and Petey drifted apart a bit, but I feel quite honoured to be asked."

"Yeah, Peter's got a few good friends at this party, so I've heard, who were surprised too. I must admit, I was quite curious to meet you."

Sirius grinned. "That's Peter. He's an alright guy, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure I'm the right friend for the job. I wouldn't know what to say, I'd probably panic, get drunk, and end up trying to shag the other groom's best man, or brother or something," Sirius said, winking at the man in front of him.

The other man laughed. "Well, I'll just warn you, the other best man is actually going to be a woman, and the other groom doesn't have a brother."

Sirius shrugged. "I was just kidding, I'm not into casual shags... that's not my sort of thing. So how do you know Peter, or are you a friend of his fiancé?"

"Well, actually, I am his fiancé. Nice to meet you, I'm Remus Lupin," he said, holding his hand out, to shake Sirius'.

Fuck.

Sirius stared at him in shock.

"You're kidding me?" he said, and Remus shook his head.

"Nope, not kidding," he replied softly, his smile dropping, as he lowered his hand.

"No, I don't mean anything bad," Sirius hurried to explain, "Just shocked. You're really not what I expected, Peter's done good for himself."

He looked Remus over again, and reached out and shook Remus' hand, his skin tingling when he let go.

Remus' face lit up with a smile again.

"Glad _one_ of his friends thinks that," he said, and Sirius noticed a slight emphasis on the word 'one'.

Sirius frowned. "Why? Don't the others like you?"

Remus shrugged. "I get the impression they think Peter could do better. Not many people are as accepting of my condition, after all."

"Condition?" Sirius asked curiously. "Oh, you don't have to tell me, I don't mean to pry," he added, quickly.

Remus frowned for a moment. "Peter didn't tell you?" he asked and Sirius shook his head, looking curious. "No, that's okay, people find out sooner or later. I suffer from Lycanthropy."

Sirius' eyes went wide, and he stared at Remus for a minute.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," Remus said, awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets and turning to go inside.

"Wait, Remus?" Sirius said, and the man stopped. "I wasn't trying to be rude, and I'm sorry if it came across that way, I was just surprised, you don't look how I expected."

"And what were you expecting?" Remus asked, sounding curious.

"I don't know, to be honest... my parents told me stories, and I know the stories are all crap, but I've never met a werewolf before and really didn't know what to expect, I guess."

"Does it bother you?" Remus asked, sounding nervous, and Sirius shook his head. "Nah, you seem pretty normal to me, you haven't tried to kill me and you don't look like someone who's going to steal people's babies, so I think we're good."

Remus chuckled. "Not all werewolves abide by the stories you heard," he said.

"I doubt any of them do, considering the ones my parents used to tell me."

"They weren't fans, I take it?"

Sirius shook his head. "Sirius Black," he said. "Son of Walburga and Orion Black, disowned, disgraced heir and embarrassment to the Black name."

Remus tensed up, and slight panic was written on his face.

"Don't worry, I've never held the same beliefs as them. When I was a child, I didn't know any better, as my parents tried to poison my mind, but the moment I stepped onto that train and found myself in a compartment with James Potter, and then got placed in Gryffindor, when the rest of my family were Slytherins, I realised that my parents were so full of crap, and realised I didn't have to be like them, and could make up my own mind about everything."

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I do have a point somewhere in what I'm saying... I'm just trying to say that although I share their blood, and their name, I'm not like my family. I prefer to base my opinion of you on who you are right now, not what you become once a month, and you seem like a really nice guy, and if you make my riend happy, then that's what's important here... So please don't make a snap judgement on me because of my name alone. I'm not one of them."

Remus looked relieved, the tension gone from his body. "Well, I don't care if you're a Black. I have met some of them, unfortunately. They don't seem to be the nicest company. I guess we both have a reason for people to look at us the wrong way, but you seem like a decent guy, probably the most enjoyable to talk to at this party without a doubt."

Sirius let out a laugh. "Try living with them... when your parents would give you a smack for talking back, we'd get tortured."

The grin stayed on Sirius' face, but his eyes gave something away to Remus, something that told him that Sirius was telling the truth. "Same goes to you, you're the only interesting person here. I'm glad to have met you."

Remus grinned. "Thanks Sirius, it's nice to meet you too," Remus said, his soft voice causing shivers through Sirius' body.

Sirius looked at him in a daze for a moment. How in the hell was this fascinating man marrying Peter of all people? He gave himself a mental shake and grinned at Remus.

"Maybe we should head back inside, I'm going to be heading off soon..." Sirius hesitated, not wanting to leave Remus' company. "Or we could stay out here and chat a bit more?" he asked, hoping that Remus wanted to stay outside and talk to him.

"Let's stay out here, I mean, I should get to know the best man better, right?" Remus grinned, and Sirius pushed away the inappropriate thoughts that raced through his mind, as Remus mentally cringed at his own words.

Trust him to fancy his fiancé's best man. The moment their eyes had met, Remus was lost. Here was the perfect man, the long black hair, tied behind his neck, the high aristocratic cheekbones, the full lips, the warm grey eyes, and the most amazing smile, but it wasn't about how the man looked, there was more to him that demanded Remus' attention. Sirius hadn't cared about Remus' condition, for a start, and Remus felt comfortable chatting with him, something that worked both ways, it seemed. There was just something about Sirius Black that sent shivers through his body, and it wasn't just the way the other man was looking at him.

**...~oOo~...**

They stood on the balcony and chatted for over an hour, before Sirius asked felt brave enough to ask for Remus' phone number.

"You do use mobiles, right?"

"Yeah, it's quicker than an owl," Remus replied.

"Well, I don't mind helping if you need anything done for the wedding, so feel free to let me know..." Sirius said, feeling a bit shy. "Just pass your phone, I'll stick my number in?" He tried to tell himself it wasn't like asking someone out, as he was only offering to help Remus on planning his wedding.

Remus nodded, and took out his phone, and watched as Sirius handed his own phone over, for Remus to store his number in too. Once the numbers had been exchanged, Sirius looked at the doors, as Remus resisted the urge to check to see if Sirius had really put his number in Remus' phone.

"Crazy looking redhead a friend of yours?" he asked, and Remus let out a laugh as he glanced at the door and spotted an angry-looking Lily.

He went to open the door, but it was locked and Sirius' eyes flashed in remembrance.

"Oh right, there was some old boring person starting to head towards us, so I locked the door and stuck up a silencing charm so we wouldn't hear him knocking. I got the impression you'd be too kind and allow him to join us."

Remus tried to look disapproving, but he felt his lips twitch. "You just wanted to be alone with me," he said jokingly.

"Well, do you blame me?" Came the husky reply, and Remus' eyes shot to Sirius' in surprise.

He smiled shyly, and went to answer, but there was banging on the door and his eyes shot to Lily, who had removed the silencing charm, but failed to unlock the door.

Sirius waved his hand, and the doors unlocked and she threw them open.

"I've been looking for you for an hour, Remus. A whole fucking hour. Do you know how fucking dull these people are?"

The people closest to the door looked at her, shocked.

"I've had to stand talking to your parents, at least they have something interesting to say, and they have each other to talk to at least. They must be the only interesting people here, I swear. I even had to talk to Peter," she spat his name out as though it was something disgusting.

"Well, my parents practically raised you," Remus pointed out.

"Yes, but then I see you out here, clearly having a fascinating conversation with a stranger, swapping numbers and all sorts, whilst I'm stuck with arrogant, boring, pretentious pricks."

Sirius started laughing, as the guests near the door looked appalled at Lily's words. She didn't seem to care in the slightest, and Remus turned back to look at him.

"Sirius Black, this is Lily Evans, whom I'm having in place of a best man. Lily, this is Peter's best man."

"Nice to meet you," Sirius said to the frowning redhead.

"Sirius Black? Any relation to Bellatrix Black?"

"Yeah, she's my cousin."

"She's a nasty little bitch, did you know that? She tried to hex my hair off," Lily complained. "Well, at least I hope it was my hair."

"Oh, umm yeah, she's completely insane, I'd stay away from her if I were you. It runs in the family actually, my parents are both insane."

"Are you insane?" Lily asked.

"Most probably," Sirius admitted, "but I don't believe in incest or torturing people for fun, so I'm probably the most sane person to come out of that family."

"Incest?" Lily said, looking disgusted.

"Yeah, surely you know that the Blacks tend to mostly marry other Blacks, keep the bloodline pure and all that bullshit?"

"What, so you have to marry one of your cousins or something?"

"Well, I was supposed to marry Narcissa, but I refused, and decided to tell my mum that if I was forced to provide an heir, I was going to knock up a muggleborn witch so the next Black heir wouldn't be pureblood. Then after a bit of torture, I got disowned and kicked out, so win-win."

"You clearly are insane," Lily said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Why? For not marrying my cousin?"

"No, for saying that to that crazy bitch of a mother of yours."

"You know what, Lily? I really like you," Sirius said with a grin.

Lily smiled. "You're not so bad... for a Black. Have you knocked up a muggleborn witch yet?"

"No, I'm gay," he said, winking at her.

Lily started laughing.

"And you failed to mention that to your parents?"

"Oh, they knew, thought I should marry my cousin anyway, as long as I provided an heir with a pureblood witch of their choosing, and kept my abnormalities a secret, that is... They didn't take the news that it wasn't going to happen too well."

"No wonder Remus locked you both out here, this is the most interesting conversation I've had with someone who wasn't related to Remus, all night. He should have brought me, Hope and John out and we'd have our own party of interesting people."

"If we'd done that, James might have stayed," Sirius said.

"James?" Lily asked.

"Oh, my friend, he snuck in, and snuck back out. Peter doesn't like him," Sirius said, leaning up against the railings. "Wait, I shouldn't have said that, I didn't invite him or anything, I told him not to come."

Remus nodded. "Well, that's a shame, the more interesting people here, the better."

"It is, he has a thing for red-heads. He might have stayed if he'd met Lily."

"She's cruel to men," Remus said.

Sirius looked at Lily, who nodded.

"Yeah," she admitted, her lips curved up at the sides.

Sirius shrugged. "I doubt he'd mind. In fact, I think he secretly likes it when girls are cruel to him. I don't think he's normal."

A couple appeared behind Lily. "Oh, here you are Remus, we've been looking for you, but got side-tracked by your, ah... delightful guests," the women said, meeting Lily's eyes.

Sirius smirked, he could tell that 'delightful' was the last word the women wanted to use to describe these people.

Lily pushed the door closed, locked it with her wand, and cast a silencing spell, and one to drop the blinds over the doors so no-one could see them.

"You mean those boring..." Lily began.

"Lily..." John said, his eyes flicking to Sirius.

Sirius held his hands up. "Don't mind me, don't know anyone here except Peter and his parents, and can't stand anyone else, not even Pete's parents, well except for Remus and Lily so far... and you both seem pleasant enough so far."

John smiled. "John Lupin, Remus' father."

"Sirius Black, Best Man."

"Black?" John said, his smile dropping slightly.

"Oh, not to worry, I'm not like the rest of them. I'm the disgraced, disowned, gay son they pretend they don't have. I don't hold the same beliefs as the rest of my family, I prefer to think of the Potters as my family instead. I spent all my holidays with the Potters, and moved in with James when I was 19, when my parents threw me out for refusing to marry my cousin."

The Lupins stared at him, unsure what to think.

"I can tell I've freaked you out a little bit, happens more then you realise, but not to worry, Mr and Mrs Lupin, your son's a great guy. I feel like I've made a good friend today, and I don't share their views on werewolves or anything. I'm a firm believer in giving people a chance no matter what, because I'd like everyone to give me a chance without comparing me to the people I was unfortunate to grow up with as my family."

John and Hope visibly relaxed.

"Nice to meet you, Sirius," John said, offering his hand.

"Lovely to meet you too, Mr Lupin, Mrs Lupin," Sirius said, shaking John's hand, and kissing Hope's.

She let out a laugh. "Quite the charmer, aren't you, Sirius?"

"I try my best, Mrs Lupin" he answered, winking at her.

"Oh, call us Hope and John, please," Hope said.

"So, tell us, what do you think of Peter?" John asked.

"Well... Pete's a nice enough guy," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders, "but like I was telling Remus, I don't know why he asked me..." he trailed off. "I haven't spoken to Peter in over a year, a couple of owls to catch up, but that's it."

"Well, all we want is for Remus to be happy," Hope said, looking at her son, who was openly staring at Sirius.

She hoped he wouldn't start drooling, he wasn't far off that point, but Sirius hadn't seemed to notice.

"Well, hopefully Peter will make him happy," Sirius said, smiling at her, and trying his hardest to sound sincere.

He didn't want Remus to be happy with Peter, he wanted Remus to be happy with him. He smiled at Remus, wondering for the hundredth time how Peter managed to find someone so perfect.

Sirius moved his gaze away, hoping Remus didn't realise that Sirius kept staring at him, and he caught John's eye. John was frowning slightly, but the frown disappeared quickly.

"Well, I could do with a drink," Lily said pulling a bottle of champagne out of her bag, and three glasses. She refilled Sirius' and Remus' glasses, and poured the three for the Lupins and herself. "Let's try forget that this night ever happened, and forget meeting Peter's family and friends... except Sirius, who isn't an arrogant twat like the others..."

"Well, I'd like to point out that I'm still pretty arrogant, so I've been told, repeatedly, but I'd rather not forget this night, it's been really enjoyable, actually," Sirius said, his eyes flicking to Remus for a second, and he smiled before he looked back at Lily. "So, do you carry alcohol around just in case you need to get drunk in an emergency?"

Lily scoffed. "Of course not, it's the good stuff, I was planning on taking it home with me, then when I saw you both out here, I grabbed three glasses. I didn't know you both already had drinks, and then I stood at the door waving for about five minutes, but you were too busy eye-fucking to even notice me.

Sirius blushed, as Remus choked on the champagne he had been sipping on.

"No, we weren't, I mean, Remus, he's getting married to my friend and I... I wouldn't check out my friend's fiancé," Sirius said, defensively, and glaring at Lily who was giving him a knowing look. "I wouldn't do that to a friend."

"Sirius is right, we were just chatting about stuff, the wedding and stuff," Remus stuttered.

Hope looked between the men, and raised her eyebrows at Lily, who smirked back.

"Well, I should get going, I was going to leave earlier," Sirius said, looking around the group, his gaze flicking to Remus more than it should. "It was great to meet you all."

He walked to the door of the balcony and turned around. "Remus, if you need any wedding planning help, let me know," he said, before unlocking the door and walking to the front door. As he reached it, he looked back and gave a wave.

Remus stared after him, and Peter appeared in the doorway. "Here you all are. Aren't you cold out here?"

Remus shook his head absently, his gaze still on the front door that Sirius had left through.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, is following or has favourited this story, and to everyone who is following or has favourited me.**

**I know you're all wondering how Peter ended up with someone as perfect and amazing as Remus. We'll put that down to Remus' insecurities over his Lycanthropy. We all know Remus has self-esteem issues.**

**Don't worry, there will be NO smut between Peter and Remus (I promise!). I really am not planning on writing that, so don't worry.**

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Sirius slammed the door as he entered his and James' flat. James was sitting in his boxers, eating pizza in front of the TV.

"You were gone a while?" James asked, walking to his room and coming out in some pyjama bottoms.

Sirius nodded and James stared at him.

"Why? I must admit, I'm curious what happened at that funeral of a party that made you stay there for a few hours?"

"It wasn't that dull..." Sirius said, and took in the look on James' face.

"Fine, it was, and I went to hide on the balcony to avoid Pete's stuck up parents, and the rest of the tossers, and some guy comes out," Sirius said, throwing himself onto the sofa, which gave a squeak of protest.

"Some guy?" James asked, dropping into the old armchair.

"Some hot looking guy, about my age, a bit taller, dark blonde hair, amazing amber eyes, and a mouth that I can picture doing bad things..."

"Focus," James said, sounding bored.

"Right, so fucking extremely hot guy, comes out and we start chatting, and I liked him, I really fucking wanted him, was thinking of asking for his number and was even considering asking if he wanted to ditch the party and go for dinner or drinks or something..."

"But?"

"He introduced himself. It was Peter's fiancé."

"What?" James said, in horror, suddenly more interested in the story. "Are you telling me Peter's fiancé is good-looking?"

"Yes," Sirius confirmed, "very good-looking."

"Shit, I didn't see that one coming," James said in shock.

There was a long pause whilst James sat in shock and Sirius contemplated his feelings.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Sirius asked, breaking the silence.

James hesitated for a few minutes, before he worked out what to say. "No... and unless you plan to steal your friend's fiancé, you shouldn't either."

"Bollocks," Sirius muttered, as James stood up and left the room, trying to work out what was the right thing to do.

Sirius decided to help himself to the pizza on the table.

...oOo...

Half a pizza later, James came back into the room with some parchment and a quill.

Sirius stared at him. "What are those for?"

"Brainstorming," James said, as though Sirius was stupid.

At Sirius' blank look, he sighed again.

"Brainstorming on how to break up Peter and his fiancé," James clarified.

Sirius shook his head. "I won't do that to a friend," he said, taking the parchment from James, crumpling it up and throwing it in the bin, before standing and walking towards his room.

"Love at first sight?" James called after him.

"Peter's my friend."

"Peter deserves it, he's a twat," James shouted, as Sirius closed his bedroom door.

Sirius sat on the edge of his bed, and put his head in his hands. How could he do this? After only a few hours in Remus' company, he was mad about the guy. There was a part of his head telling him the same thing James was saying – to go for it, go after Remus anyway, but the main part was telling him that Peter was his friend.

He couldn't do that to his friend, he couldn't have feelings for his friend's fiancé. He wouldn't allow himself to.

He would ignore the fluttery feeling in his stomach when Remus crossed his thoughts, he would ignore the memory of heat on his skin when Remus shook his hand, and he would forget how easy and comfortable things were when they were talking on the balcony.

He would be a good and loyal friend to Peter, the same way Peter would be to him.

He repeated these things over and over in his head.

An hour after storming off to his bedroom, he heard an owl at the window, and for the second time that day, he stared at the envelope in his hands and opened up an invitation.

As he read the message from John Lupin, asking him to come for dinner the next day, and to ask for help with planning Remus' stag party, he smiled.

There was no way in hell he was going to miss the chance to see Remus again so soon.

All thoughts about forgetting his new feelings for Remus disappeared from his head in an instant.

He pulled out some of his best quality parchment, and wrote a polite message to John Lupin, accepting the invite, before attaching it to the owl. He watched the owl fly away and once it was out of view, he left the room, bringing the letter from the Lupins with him.

James was splayed across the sofa, munching on the leftover pizza, and Sirius dropped the letter on James' lap.

James picked it up and read it, and as his eyes moved across the words, a grin spread across his face.

"So his parents seem to like you?" James said, folding the parchment back up and putting it on the table, and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah, I already sent a letter back, but I've never met anyone's parents before, and it's different going to dinner than bumping into them and chatting for a few minutes at a party."

James started laughing and Sirius looked at him. "What's so funny?"

"First of all, you met the Lupins last night, and clearly made a good impression so you shouldn't be so worried, and second, Remus isn't your boyfriend, you've been quite clear on the fact, so that would make you just friends, right? As for friends – you've met my parents, you've met Peter's... you've met friends parents before."

"Yeah, but I haven't wanted to shag you or Peter."

"I don't think anyone wants to shag Peter," James mumbled.

"Except Remus," Sirius said, a frown on his face. The thought of Peter even kissing Remus made his stomach turn. Not because of Peter's looks or anything – well, partly because of them – but more because he wanted himself to be the one to touch Remus, and kiss him, and shag him.

James screwed up his face. "Don't give me mental images of Peter naked, of all people."

Sirius had the fleeting thought cross his mind and he cringed slightly.

"So can I come?" James asked, gesturing to the letter.

"Why?" Sirius replied.

"I want to see what the fuss is about this Remus guy. I mean, when have you ever uttered the word love before, except to say it would never happen to you?"

Sirius shrugged. "Things change... besides, the invite was just to me, and I don't know them well enough to ask if I can bring you... but if I'm helping organising the stag do, then I'll mention that you're good at organising parties and stuff and maybe get you in that way?"

James nodded. "So I'm going to be bored tomorrow by myself whilst you go off with Remus?"

"That's right. Why don't you do something, go the pub with Frank and Alice, and I'll meet you down there afterwards?"

James shrugged. "You could bring Remus with you?"

Sirius smiled. "We'll see."

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**The letter will be explained in the next chapter, I know it seems like it just appeared unexpectedly and out of the blue, but there's a reason behind it - trust me!**

**Reviews please! I love reviews!**

**It only takes a minute to write something. Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, this story isn't all that popular, is it? Can I get some more reviews this chapter, would appreciate it!**

**Well, I enjoy writing it, so I'm going to continue anyways. :)**

**So thought I'd try something new, and give a POV from John Lupin (and a small bit from Hope too). Hopefully it works. Let me know if it doesn't.**

**Thanks to my Beta - MichyDrarryShipper.**

**Just a reminder, there will be NO SMUT INVOLVING PETER. I can't write that, nor do I want to try! I wouldn't subject poor Remus to that, he'd be scarred for life.**

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John Lupin stared at the invitation in his hand for a long time, before attaching it to the owl and sending it off. He hoped that he was doing the right thing for his son, but he couldn't allow Remus to make the biggest mistake of his life.

John felt that everything that had happened in Remus' life had been a result of John's actions. One badly place outburst had almost cost his sons' life, and everything Remus had had to endure from that point on – jobs, relationships... or lack thereof – had all been because of him. Had he not antagonized Greyback, Remus would be living a normal life.

From the moment that his eyes had fallen on the bite mark proving that this small, innocent boy had been infected, he had realised that his views on Werewolves were wrong, because this was his son. This was Remus, and Remus wasn't a monster, so his views changed. The only monsters were the men who chose to be Werewolves, not the ones who were the victims like his son.

Remus was nothing like Greyback. How could all Werewolves be considered monsters, when his little boy was laying in the hospital bed, close to death, looking so small, so helpless? One bite didn't make a monster, it was Greyback who chose to be the monster, and his son would never be the monster that Greyback was. He was the same boy he had always been, except that he now had a fear of the dark, the moon, large animals, and sleeping in his room alone.

It took years for Remus to sleep in his own room, without Hope or John there with him, and they would have to ward and magically lock his bedroom window, and all the other windows in the house, before he would allow them to leave the room. The nightmares took years to stop, and from what he knew, Remus still struggled with them sometimes, and John blamed himself every moment of every day.

All John and Hope wanted was to see Remus happy again.

When their son became quiet and withdrawn at the age of seventeen, they made sure to be there if he ever wanted to talk. He wouldn't for a long time, but they were patient and never pushed too hard to find out what was wrong, knowing that he would come to them when he was ready. They made it clear that they were always there to talk, when he needed them.

Four years later, they found out what had caused his behaviour. On his twenty-first birthday, Remus nervously announced to them that he was gay. He looked at them, his hand tightly clasped with Lily's for support, with so much fear in his eyes, waiting for their rejection. Although they had both imagined Remus settling down with a nice girl (hopefully that girl would have been Lily), with little sandy-haired, green-eyed children running around, this was their son, and he clearly wasn't going to go ahead with the life they had already pictured, so John had reassured his son that he would love him no matter what. John couldn't believe that after everything, Remus would think that his parents would ever hate him.

John and Hope could never hate him. They could have lost their son that day that he was attacked. They would accept anything, because their son was their everything.

So, six months later, when he turned up with Peter, they tried to be as accepting as possible. They knew they would accept anything, because all they wanted was for their son to be happy.

But that was before they met Peter.

John didn't want Peter around, but Remus looked so happy, he was smiling, laughing... he was the man they imagined he'd become before he had gotten bitten, and their hatred for Peter was, for the most part, ignored for the fact that their son was so happy.

It didn't change John's feelings over Peter though. He didn't like him. He saw the way Peter looked at Remus, it definitely wasn't indicative of love. He didn't think that Remus loved Peter either, but it was Remus' first relationship and Remus had told his parents that he cared for Peter. John and Hope had thought that it would fizzle out, as any non-serious relationship would, and Remus would move on and meet someone more suited to him. Someone who would truly love him.

John was relieved that Remus hadn't fallen in love, as he didn't want to pretend to like Peter forever, and he had thought that they wouldn't last much longer.

But then, a week ago, Remus had told them that he was engaged. The relationship had only been going on for about four months.

John and Hope congratulated him with fake smiles, and opened the champagne (not the most expensive one they had, because that was for a happy occasion), and pretended to celebrate. When Lily arrived home, John went out to his shed and broke his hand in frustration by punching the wall over and over, until Lily came out and saw, and healed him. He could see in her eyes that she understood.

Hope wasn't as calm as John, and he had had to go out and buy a new set of plates, since she had somehow managed to accidentally smash each one of them once Remus had gone out. John could have fixed them, but he knew that they would have been a reminder of this day, each time they sat down to dinner and saw the plates.

Needless to say, they hated Peter.

When they looked at Peter, they didn't see someone who loved their son, or even cared that much. In fact, they couldn't see a spark towards Remus at all on Peter's side. The man treated their son like he was some acquaintance off the street, and Remus either didn't know better, or was too happy to even care.

And their son – engaged to marry Peter in a few weeks, a man he didn't even love... But when Lily questioned him, Remus would repeat the same thing.

"I'll fall in love with him, don't worry. I'm lucky to get a guy like him."

John wondered why his son had such a low opinion of himself. Remus was very handsome, but had no confidence. Not everyone cared if he was a werewolf, and surely there were other men out there that would accept Remus?

Lily hated Peter too, and Lily was never wrong about these things. She spent time with them as a couple, something John and Hope hadn't really done much of, and John was surprised to see Peter still standing – he guessed it was because no matter how much Lily hated Peter, she loved Remus more.

Things got worse at the Engagement party, where John was forced to talk to a bunch of people who seemed to look down at his son, and he and Hope decided to stick with talking to Lily. He didn't care if anyone else thought he was rude, but then Lily disappeared and the Pettigrews had come over to talk, and John hadn't liked a word that had come out of their mouths. But before he could reply, Hope had let them know quite clearly that Peter was the lucky one to get Remus, and if their son ever hurt Remus, Hope would make sure that every single member of their family suffered.

The Pettigrews had thought she was joking, and he wanted to slap those phony smiles off both their faces – yes, the first time he'd ever wanted to slap a woman... Hope didn't seem to appreciate the smiles either, so she reminded them that she raised a Werewolf son, and the Lupins weren't people to mess with.

They spotted Peter, who looked like he was going to come and join the mess of a conversation that they were having with his parents, and John knew he couldn't handle talking to another Pettigrew. That's when they had walked away and found Lily and Remus on the balcony, chatting to a handsome man.

John remembered his first thought looking at the pair – this is how someone should be looking at Remus. The man was talking, laughing and couldn't take his eyes off his son. Just the way the dark-haired stranger was looking at his son, and the way Remus was looking back made John felt hopeful again – maybe something could be done after all?

He had hesitated at the man's name though, knowing about that family, and their views on Werewolves.

Sirius _Black_.

But Sirius had defended himself, saying he wasn't like his family, and with the way he looked at Remus, John found himself believing every single word that came out of Sirius' mouth.

Well, except when Sirius had told them that he hoped Peter made Remus happy. That was a blatant lie, and John knew all about lying. He tried to understand why Sirius didn't mean that. Could it be that he didn't want his friend married to a Werewolf? Or was it to do with the way the man was staring, fascinated, at Remus? Maybe he wanted to be the one to make Remus happy? John had smiled to himself. He could deal with that.

There was definitely no faking the chemistry between the couple, but then Lily had had to make a comment about eyefucking. Trust Lily to say that... and Sirius had closed up and rushed off. But it was true, all of them had seen it. Maybe Remus hadn't, but his son was quite naïve when it came to relationships and romantic attention. It hadn't just been Sirius. Remus had been looking back with the same look.

John had never seen his son that fascinated by anyone or anything. The way he had stared at Sirius – he had clearly been besotted with him, and his eyes had never left the man until the front door had closed. Even when Peter had been standing there, Remus had just looked past him.

But Sirius was loyal to his friend, and that was something that John realised would be a problem for his plan, the plan to get Peter out of Remus' life for good. John was damned if he was going to let his son marry anyone from the Pettigrew family. He would say the same about the Black family, but he could see clearly that Sirius was different, and he had met the Potters a few times. They were a good family, and if they had accepted Sirius into theirs, the same way the Lupins had accepted Lily, then he would believe that the man could be different.

John finally remembered the big scandal surrounding the boy when he had been disowned. People at the Ministry talked, and when Sirius Black mentioned that he was mostly brought up by the Potters, John recalled Charlus Potter putting people in their place when anyone tried to badmouth Sirius. Charlus defended Sirius, the same way John himself would defend Lily if anyone said anything bad about her. If Charlus Potter had such a high opinion of him, then there must be good in Sirius.

Plus, he would much rather have someone like Sirius as a son-in-law. At least he wouldn't have to pretend to like the man. Sirius was instantly likeable, naturally charming and very sincere, and Hope was already won over. Not an easy thing to do either, as Hope had been bitter towards strangers over the years. Her family being the most important thing in her life, and her need to protect her son from those that would look down on him, had overshadowed her need for friendships.

They had left an hour before the party was to end. That had given him time to tell Hope and Lily that there was no way in hell that he was going to let his son marry Peter. They watched him pull out the parchment and write Sirius' name on the top.

He hesitated for a minute, unsure what to write.

"Ask him to dinner?" Hope suggested.

"Ask him to help with the stag do?" Lily suggested.

John nodded, and chose to combine the ideas. If they had imagined the sparks that evening, then there would be no harm in issuing the invitation, but if there was something there, they would make sure that Remus could be with someone who made him happy. Hopefully Sirius was that person, because no matter how much he smiled and laughed in Peter's presence, that was nothing compared to the way their son had lit up around Sirius Black.

They had two weeks to get Remus to realise that Peter was wrong for him.

It briefly crossed his mind that he would be ruining Peter and Sirius' friendship, but he reasoned with himself, saying it was for his son, and Sirius would get Remus, which John saw as a much better outcome.

John had already ruined Remus' life by being the reason that Greyback had attacked, he wouldn't allow Remus to ruin his own future. He would do this for his son, give his son one bit of happiness, he owed Remus that and so much more.

**...oOo...**

Hope remembered years ago, before Remus was bitten. She remembered being soft-spoken, a meek women, having fallen in love with the Wizarding world when she found out she was a Witch and with the handsome and charming John Lupin, an older boy in school who managed to notice her, despite her love for the library and her shyness.

A man like John could have had anyone, but he chose her. Quiet, mousy Hope Howell, and he made her feel so special. Everything was perfect. John left school a year ahead of her, and it was awful being without him, and when she left school, he proposed, telling her that the year away from her had made him realise he couldn't be without her any longer.

It was perfect; they had a lovely house and then had a beautiful son, until the day came where he was attacked.

It had shaken their lives, and every single day since, John had blamed himself. When a healer had flinched in the hospital, just because Remus moved unexpectedly, John, her normally strong husband, didn't even notice. He was so distraught over what he felt he had caused, and it was in that moment that Hope had realised something.

She could never be the women she was again. If this was the reaction to a tiny, terrified. five-year old, wrapped in bandages, cuddling a stuffed Phoenix, then how would they react when Remus was older?

She realised right there that Remus would need a strong mother. That was the first time she ever stood up and argued. She confronted the man face on and asked him why he was scared of a five-year old child. She tore into him, bringing every single ounce of anger forward, which wasn't hard, as she remembered the flinch and the look of disgust on his face, over her child – her baby, Remus, and found that the anger came easily.

That was the day she became a new woman.

She spent the years teaching Remus magic, until she was able to send him to private education, which cost a fortune, but she found somewhere that accepted werewolves. She taught him everything she knew, and would spend her free time learning more and more, just to teach her son when he was back with her. She wanted to show him that he wasn't a creature with near human intelligence that the ministry insisted all Werewolves were, and that he was an extremely intelligent boy, and that made the achievement bigger for him. He was determined to prove himself. He grew up with a love of books and a love of learning, being the top student alongside Lily Evans.

The day he invited her home for dinner, John and Hope were ecstatic. They couldn't believe that their shy little Remus had made a friend. She was the only person who wasn't scared of him, a Muggleborn girl called Lily. Hope later found out that her parents were slightly afraid of magic, and Lily felt she wasn't treated the same as her sister. Not neglected, but enough to make Lily feel alienated. Lily began to spend her holidays with the Lupins, and as the years went by, she spent less and less time with her own family.

Lily adapted the same way Hope had, once she found out Remus was a Werewolf. Whenever someone let slip a nasty comment in the street, she was filled with disgust at the way Remus was treated, and Remus, he would just take the words. His gaze would automatically shift to the ground and he'd not speak for a little while. Lily wouldn't take anyone saying a bad word about Remus, or even looking at him wrong. She and Hope were a force to be reckoned with when they were out with Remus together.

Hope only wanted the best for her son, and when he brought Peter home, she knew instantly there was something wrong with him, something bad about him. She didn't know what, but she didn't trust him in the slightest.

So when she met Sirius Black, she knew that Remus could be happy, Sirius looked at Remus the same way John had looked at her the first time they had met. She knew right there and then, that Sirius and Remus would be perfect for each other, because no matter what she and John had faced, nothing could come between them, their love was too strong, and Remus needed that type of love. Someone strong.

John beat her to the idea though. She had been discussing with Lily what they could do for Remus, when John walked in with the parchment.

They had two weeks. Two weeks to get Sirius and Remus to fall in love, or to develop something, something that would overshadow what Remus has with Peter, and to get the wedding called off.

She would help her son be happy if it was the last thing she ever did.


End file.
